21 March 2017

The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling which allows companies to ban staff from wearing Islamic headscarves is at risk of further alienating Muslim women from European society, a group representing Irish Muslim women has warned.

Nearly 100 Muslim women gathered outside the Dublin office of the European Commission on Tuesday to protest the ruling by the EU’s highest court which means employees could be banned from wearing religious symbols.

Cries of “look at my CV, not at me” and “my hijab, my choice” could be heard along Mount street as women of all ages marched up and down the pavement outside Europe House carrying an array of colourful placards and banners.

Fatima Chaudhry, a member of the Muslim Sisters of Eire group which organised the protest, warned that Muslim women already feel “marginalised and picked on by society”.

“The hijab for us is part of our identity, it’s very dear to us. You should hire someone based on their skills, their ability, their qualifications, not based on what they’re wearing. [Irish Times] Read more